Its actually *not* all about content for rankings

Its funny how often they repeat themselves when people ask them (Google) questions in regards to SEO. Their standard answer is always "make a site which is interesting/good for the user, then the rankings will come...

Maybe this is actually not that stupid...

I say this because as a SEO and marketer i see myself very OFTEN in that "trap" to write content simply "for SEO" in the hopes of ranking.

I blog about something simply because i am an affiliate for the product and i hope to make some sales. I am writing articles where i researched the keywords in advance, in the hopes to get good SERPs

You write a comment on a blog, NOT because you actually care about the blog...simply because you want a fricking backlink.

You design sites around LSI keywords and SEO research...you chose categories and post title names NOT because they might be interesting for people, but rather because of your "SEO mind" ...you get the idea

Sometimes i think...i would be good to have an "anti SEO" mind and make sites where i "willingly" ignore all those factors...and i actually would NOT be surprised if it would pay off somehow also in terms of Google rankings.

How to start with this:

Take off your "SEO Mindset" and simply go out and look what the buzz is, what people are talking about...think about what people might be interested to read. Simple as that. I admit that i often "forget" that and Google might be right, in some way ...

I think it should win out in the end. these days SEO is moving more towards quality backlinks.

If your website has a good percentage of returning visitors(as a result of writing FOR people) it will be more easier to build relationships with them. This can eventually translate into SEO via natural links from these people/guest posts etc

I don't quite know how to put it.. but writing "for people" opens up networking opportunities more easily which indirectly gives you quality SEO.

While the above does work out in the long run.. Most of us can not be experts in all niches. We tend to be able to provide exceptionally good content in one or two niches and moderate quality content on others. We are FORCED to use any and every way to get an edge in the rankings because we don't really have superior quality content. This is why we must continue to write "for the search engines" for most niches.

We are told by the so called experts that you need to have a constant flow of unique content on your site to rank well. This is almost complete BS. I have done a number of experiments in this area. Basically, you need to have some good content in order to rank well. But once you rank you no longer need a steady flow of content in order to keep that rank. I have had sites ranked well for competitive terms that were not touched at all (no content added, nothing changed, no new backlinks) for over 2 years!!

Obviously, you'll want to keep an eye on any new competition and add some new links if you see your rank dropping.

Internet marketing has become key in determining whether a business moves to the next level or stagnates. Content, Search engine optimization, web analytics, and social media are some of the ...
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